Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Getting ready for a Handfasting & Thank Yous

Whew... Only 4 more days until Kellie and I get Handfasted. It is so exciting... but it has also been exhausting. I knew planning a wedding would be hard, but I didn't realize planning a very simple Handfasting with a small group of family and friends would also be a lot of work.
I love planning parties, but usually the little details aren't a big deal. But with the Handfasting I have been trying to get everything to work out nicely, and I am hoping everything runs smoothly... I think the hardest part of planning the handfasting has been the research. I know what all the symbols and traditions mean, but I am having trouble explaining it to our friends and family members in a way that doesn't sound confusing... and I also want to explain it quickly without having to delve too much into lessons about Paganism. I feel uncomfortable preaching about my religion because I don't want people to feel pressured into anything... It's easier to write about it in this blog because I know if anyone is uncomfortable with the topic they do not have to read it.
But besides that, I have been having a lot of fun getting things together. I am so grateful to our friends and family members. They have all pulled together to help me and Kellie with the food and the decorations for the party. Without our friends and family helping out I don't think this Handfasting/engagement party would even exist.
I would like to thank everyone who has helped me behind the scenes.
Earlier I was starting to get really stressed out, but one by one our family and friends helped me with things here and there and now I feel so much calmer and I can even relax and enjoy the upcoming days. I am also calmer because the guest list is finally settled. There were a few problems here and there, but luckily they have all been resolved, and now I am so happy and excited to see everyone.

I want to thank everyone for coming to our Handfasting (especially those who have to travel long distances or leave work) even though we haven't even had it yet... I'd like to thank you all in advance! It's so great that our friends and family have come together to help me and Kellie celebrate this step in our lives. And I'd also like to thank everyone who is bringing food/drink/etc. And I'd like to remind you all to bring your cameras and take lots of pictures! I hope to have a lot of great pictures that Kellie and I can look back on for years to come.

Special Thanks To:Julie: You have helped me more then you will know. Finding a Broom for me, and lending me lights, as well as buying Champagne, and being supportive through the whole process. You telling me how excited you were for the Handfasting helped me pull through some stress and get more excited myself! Thank you.

Mom (Claire):Thank you so much for making a Vegetarian Dish, as well as buying Apple Cider, and Getting all the Plates/Silverware/Napkins and all the other things you got for us. Also, talking about the future wedding with you has helped me relax a lot. I was stressing out about how Kellie and I were going to pay for our wedding, but you just mentioning that you'd help with the dress and jewelry lifted a huge weight off my shoulders. It's also such a blessing knowing that you support my and Kellie's relationship. I'd also like to thank you for all the recipes you share with me. And a really big thank you for showing excitement and interest in Kellie's and my wedding even though you are super busy with Melissa's wedding right now.

Kathy (Kellie's mom): Thank you so much for letting us have the Handfasting at the house, and thank you so much for making the roasted chickens and buying so much of the food. You took a huge weight off of Kellie's and my shoulders when you offered to help pay for the catering at our wedding. Kellie has been super stressed out about how we would pay for our wedding, but now she has been more relaxed and excited. I really appreciate everything. I am blessed to have such a supportive mother in law.

Daniel: I'd like to Thank you for being my Maid Of Honor... or should I say Man Of Honor. It really means a lot to me to have such a close friend in you. I would also like to thank you in advance for helping me with little wedding things, and helping out in the Handfasting ceremony.

Kellie (my fiance): Thank you for being so wonderful and loving and caring. I am so blessed to have found you, and I look forward to spending the rest of our lives together. Thank you for showing your excitement for our Handfasting and our marriage. It makes me so happy to know that you are as excited and happy as I am. Also, thank you for being supportive when I was stressing out. I love you more then anything.

7 comments:

I love you so much, Kat. That was so beautiful to read. I would also like to thank everyone for their help.

Julie, you're ALWAYS a big help. You do so much. You're such a good friend. That's why I asked you to be my Best WO-Man (lol). You're ALWAYS there for me. You always help me with my problems and encourage me with my writing and waste your money on me to cheer me up even though an epic Julie hug would be equally amazing. ...Why are you so awesome?

Claire, You've taken such a burden off mine and Kat's shoulders by helping with money and buying things for the handfasting. You've been SUCH a big help! And it makes Kat and I feel so honored, special and loved that you would take time out, discuss and plan OUR wedding and help with our handfasting, even though you're so busy with Melissa's. Thank you so much!

Mom, You're not going to read this, but I already thanked you for all you've done and all you will continue to do. There was a few months back when I was feeling exceptionally depressed because no one seemed to be caring about the handfasting or the wedding and no one was offering to help. I was actually growing a little bitter, thinking that maybe Kat and I would be treated differently if we were a straight couple; that if we were straight, we’d get the same amount of treatment our sisters got. But now as the handfastng is getting closer, you and everyone else seem to be treating us like a normal couple and giving us equal amounts of attention that you’ve given to others in the past. I would like to thank you for that. It means more to me than you will ever know.

Michelle, You are, without a doubt, the BEST big sister in the WHOLE world. Really. You’ve ALWAYS been there for me and you’ve ALWAYS taken care of me. You’re like some kind of beacon in the darkness and when I’m lost I just look for you, and once I find you I know everything is going to be alright. You help me and guide me SO much, especially when I’m having a hard time or when our parents are being unreasonable or unresponsive. I just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart; you really are the best.

Kat, You are the light of my life...not the unbearably bright kind that blinds me when I open the door in the morning, but more like the light in the darkness of my soul, filling a emptiness that would remain void of anything if it weren’t for you. I would literally be nothing without you; a shell of a person, isolated from the world because I don’t really care about it. But you brought me out into the light and showed me that there are wonderful things beyond the darkness, wonderful things like you and our friends and family, all which I treasure greatly. I thank you for that. And I thank you for these wonderful six years together, they have truly been magical. I cannot wait for the next six years, and the next, and the next… I want to live the rest of my life with you.-Kellie

I love you so much Kellie. Reading that brought tears to my eyes. You are my everything and I am looking forward to spending the rest of our lives together. You truly are gifted with words and writing. In that one post you said everything I have been having difficulty finding the right words to say.

...Those were both really touching and beautiful... REALLY REALLY INCREDIBLY SO... >.< (Hiding... But gonna give a response a try...) And I'm REALLY glad I could help you two (And, please, if there's anything else you need, let me know!), and that I know you in general... I was so lucky to have had Kat introduce herself back at Middlesex. It's a little weird thinking about this handfasting/wedding in a sense, because I think I've ALWAYS seen you as and taken you for granted as a couple. I kind of double-take at the idea that it isn't technically legal yet. LOL! You've just... always given that vibe. But I know they're both going to be beautiful, fun ceremonies; especially as Kat's playing such a heavy hand in planning them. Already it's been so much fun reading up about it every time a new post appears! You're both amazing, inspiring people, and you complement each other so magnificently... Thank YOU for letting me be there to witness that moment. ^_^ <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Introduction

Hi, I'm Kat. I am a solitary practicing Witch and I am writing this blog to share my adventures in all things Pagan and Wicca. I am getting Handfasted to my Partner of 6 years, so a lot of this blog will talk about the upcoming handfasting, as well as Sabbaths and other things that catch my fancy. I hope you all enjoy and keep an open mind. Thank you!
If this is your first time here please read my introduction page Welcome and Introduction
Thank you!